TFL Will Operate A Vintage London Underground Train To Heathrow Airport Next Month

Jan 11, 2024

The heritage Piccadilly Line service will run between Acton Town and London Heathrow Airport in commemoration of the Tube's 160th Birthday.

Aviation and rail enthusiasts rejoice! In commemoration of the London Underground's 160th birthday, Transport for London (TfL) and the London Transport Museum will run a unique heritage service between Acton Town, Northfields, and London Heathrow Airport (LHR). Onward BOAC De Havilland Comet connections are optional.

Running across June 10 and 11, the commemorative rail service will see TfLutilizee 1938 rail stock, previously operated on the underground between 1938 and 1988. The painstakingly restored train has been fitted with period-appropriate art-deco furnishings, including green and red moquette seating, grab handles, and retro light fittings.

Passengers will embark at Acton Town, getting the chance to soak in some tube history with costumed actors, take selfies with TfL's #LoveTheTubeWall, and engage in some fun Oyster-card-themed crafts.

Four journeys are set to depart each day from Acton Town to Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 tube station, with one service daily terminating at Northfields. Passengers are advised to arrive at the station 20 minutes before their departure time.

Departure - Saturday

Arrival

Route

10:49

12:35

Acton Town – Heathrow – Acton Town

12:35

13:25

Acton Town – Heathrow - Northfields

14:45

15:39

Acton Town – Heathrow – Acton Town

16:05

16:59

Acton Town – Heathrow – Acton Town

Departure - Sunday

Arrival

Route

10:57

11:58

Acton Town – Heathrow – Acton Town

12:38

13:33

Acton Town – Heathrow - Northfields

14:58

15:58

Acton Town – Heathrow – Acton Town

16:18

17:18

Acton Town – Heathrow – Acton Town

Though seats cannot be reserved in advance, passengers can select which car they’d like to travel in; Pink, Orange, Yellow, and Blue. The train is in a one-class configuration; however, the Pink car will be the lead carriage en route to Heathrow, while the Blue car will sit in front on the return leg.

Tickets are fixed at £28.50 for adults, while concessions and children between 4 and 17 are £20 and £15, respectively. Children under 3 go free. Further details are available on TFL's website.

Though the journey is set to be operated by a 1938 stock railcar, London Heathrow remained disconnected from London by rail until 1977, with passengers previously having to find alternative transport from nearby underground station Hounslow West on the Piccadilly and District lines, Feltham on the British Railways main line, or via bus service from Central London.

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As demand for more convenient transport options surged in the 1960s amid the advent of jet air travel, the British government was forced to examine a new rail link to the rapidly growing airport before finally approving a £15 million ($18.5 million) extension of the Piccadilly line through to Terminals 1, 2, and 3. After a laborious fight to construct the new tunnel, Hatton Cross was opened in July 1975, serving as a brief stopover until Heathrow's tube station was completed in 1977.

The additional terminus for Terminals 4 and 5 opened in 2005 and 2008, adding the expanded Heathrow Airport terminals to the Piccadilly Line.

Several separate rail links have also been added in subsequent years; Great Western Railways’ Heathrow Express from London Paddington in 1998, connecting the airport to central London in just 15 minutes, and the recently opened Elizabeth Line to Terminals 2 through 5 in 2022.

Will you be traveling with TFL in June? Let us know in the comments.

Sources: Ian Visits, Tube History

Journalist - With a degree in journalism, Molly joins the team with an interest in aviation's history, and its impact on politics, society, and culture. Molly has experience as a digital correspondent with Sky News. Based in Surrey, United Kingdom